Only You
by ladyknitsalot601
Summary: Sam and Leah are head over heels in love, but what happens when he imprints on his girlfriend's beautiful cousin? How will Sam handle this new aspect of being a werewolf? Will him and Emily ever get along? What's in store for these two?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Emily, I'm not going to wait for you much longer. We need to get going or we won't get to La Push until dark!" I heard my mother's exasperated voice sound up the staircase

"I'm just about ready. I want to make sure I've got all of Leah's clothes. She wanted her black tank top that I stole last time." I shouted back, scanning my room again.

Spotting the tank sticking out from underneath my bed, I snatched the top from its hiding place, shoving it into my bag and stomping down the stairs with my arms full. I was going to stay with my best friend, sister, and cousin for the summer. Mom and I hadn't been getting along very well lately so my aunt Sue thought it best that I come to stay with them for a while. I wasn't complaining. Mom's been in an awful mood for months now after she and dad split, and nothing I do seems to make it any better. Everything I do is wrong. She literally yelled at me for leaving her sock drawer open the other day, which turned into a full blown screaming match about respecting her property. That was the last straw. I called aunt Sue and took her up on her offer. Now mom and I are headed over to La Push with my meager belongings.

"I hope uncle Harry made his fish fry." I said, attempting to break the silence that had settled over us as we drove down the familiar path to Leah's place.

My mom was silent at my tentative peace offering, not bothering to look up from the road. This was going to be a long ride.

"Look. I don't know what your problem is. I'm sorry it took me so long to find Leah's shirt. Don't worry, you'll get rid of me soon." I stared out of the window moodily, upset at her rebuff.

She never listens to me anymore. We used to be so close. After dad left she has been ignoring me and shutting me out. We used to tell each other everything. She was the first person I told after my first kiss, my first heartbreak. I could tell her anything, but now she always seemed preoccupied and uninterested.

An exhausted frown engulfed her face. "Emily I'm sorry. You know that I love you. I just have a lot on my mind right now. Things have been tough since your dad left. I have more bills to worry abo-"

"I know mom, but us fighting isn't going to make anything better."

"No it won't." She sighed. "I think a little space will be good for us. I just need to have time to work through this. Divorce is hard."

I didn't know what to say to that so I dug out a book from the small bag I had sitting with me in the front seat. The rest of the drive passed by quickly. I read my collection of fairy tales, most of which were very disturbing, and mom listened to a country station on the radio, occasionally singing along quietly to the familiar songs.

After 4 hours not speaking to one another, we finally pulled up to the familiar white house. Leah was waiting for me on the porch as usual, sitting next to someone I didn't recognize. The two were holding hands and looked moonily at one another. It must be her boyfriend, the one I'd heard about nonstop over the last several months. The two were getting very serious evidently.

"Em!" Leah lept up at the sight of our car and bounded down the stairs to greet me. I quickly exited the car and hugged her tightly. She looked a little different. Happier for sure, but there was also something different about the way she carried herself, like she was finally becoming comfortable with who she was.

"It's so good to see you Em. I seriously missed you, you have no idea!" She said, still hugging me close. "Seth will be happy to see you too. He's missed your cooking!"

"I missed you too little cuz! Is that Sam?" I whispered in her ear "He's cute!"

"Very." She smiled back proudly. Leah let go of me and went to greet my mother. "Hi aunt Cheryl. How was the trip?"

Mom finished pulling my bags out of the car.

"Oh good, good. How's your mom?" Mom snatched her up in a hug

"She's been doing just fine. She's in the house." Leah gestured to the white house behind her. My mom took it as her cue to go and find her younger sister.

"I suppose I'll leave you young people to it!"

As mom walked through the front door, Seth shot out of it barreling towards me. I was engulfed in another tight hug from Seth, the closest thing to a little brother that I had.

"How are you doing Seth? Wow! You've gotten so tall!" I ruffled the hair on his head. He stuck his tongue out at me.

Seth was an inch taller than I was now. He would never let me live it down. I hadn't seen him in months, but he still had that sweet childish smile on his face. He was always a sunny attitude about life.

" Yea I'm 5'7 now." He declared "I'm so glad you're coming to stay with us! Leah's always gone with Sam now and I get so bored being here by myself." I smirked at Leah after this proclamation but she wasn't looking at me, she was looking up at Sam.

"Sam come and meet my cousin Emily."

He stood from the swing gracefully, which was surprising for a guy of his size, and walked over to greet me. He never took his eyes off of Leah. She in turn, didn't take her eyes off of his. It's obvious they both have it bad. He reached us and wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. I extended a hand to him awkwardly, feeling a bit out of place in Leah's new relationship.

"Hi. It's nice to finally meet you, I've h-" My voice caught in my throat as he turned his head to look at me and grabbed my hand.

The smile on Sam's face fell immediately upon meeting my eyes. His expression quickly turned to disgust as he looked at me. What in the hell was this guy's deal?

"I need to go home." He mumbled, shrugging himself out of Leah's grasp and quickly stalking away towards the woods. He looked very angry about something, but what? Had I made him uncomfortable? Had he felt what I had? What in the world was going on?

"Sam where are you going? You said you were staying for dinner!" Leah shouted going after him, confused.

"I'm not hungry." He shouted back, not bothering to look in our direction. His shoulders were shaking with rage. What was this guy's deal? Sure I held onto his hand a little too long but surely that didn't warrant this reaction?

"You're going the wrong way Sam. Your mom lives over there!" She gestured the opposite way of the woods. "What the hell Sam? You know I've been excited for this all week." He didn't turn around to respond. Instead he sped up and disappeared into the small opening of the woods.

She sighed, exasperated and turned to me. "What the hell is his problem?"

"I don't know. He's your boyfriend." I said shrugging. That was the strangest experience I'd ever had.

"He's been acting so weird lately, you have no idea, and he won't talk to me about what's going on!"She shouted, a tear slipping down her face. "At first I thought him and his mom were having some problems, but when I talked to her she said that things were just fine. I made him promise that he wouldn't do this during this freaking dinner. I wanted you two to meet one another. You guys are like the two most important people in my life."

I didn't know what to say to make her feel better. Instead I grabbed her hand reassuringly.

"He'll come around. Let's go inside and see what's for dinner."

Leah laughed. "You know exactly what it's going to be."

"Harry Clearwater's famous fish fry!" We said together, laughter overcoming us.

 **(Later that night)**

As Leah and I lay next to each other on her bed talking about boys and movies, my mind drifted to Sam. He was by far the most handsome man I'd ever seen. I was intrigued by him but I could be mature about this. I could be attracted to him and not be weird about it.

"Tell me about Sam." I said, not able to stop myself from asking about him.

"Well, his dad left him and his mom a couple of years ago so it's just him and his mom. He is so sweet to her Emily, it just completely melts me. He really stepped up when his dad left and has helped take care of her and the house. That's just the kind of guy he is and he's always taking care of me, making sure I'm happy and comfortable. He never lets me pay for anything and he gets along with mom, dad, and Seth so I couldn't really ask for a better boyfriend. Plus he's out of high school and a lot more mature than the boys at school."

"Earlier you said he's been acting weird lately. What's been going on?" I probed, dying to hear more.

"Yea." A pause. "He's been really moody lately, which isn't very characteristic of him. He's also been talking to my dad alone a lot, which is kind of weird. But I think I know why."

"Why?" I whispered back

"I think he's going to propose." she said, smiling sleepily

I turned on my side, facing the wall. What the hell was going on with me? "And would you say yes if he did?" I asked, holding my breath. I was afraid to hear her answer.

"Yea." She breathed. "Of course I would. I really love him."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I woke up the next day and looked at the alarm clock on Leah's nightstand. 9:30. Rubbing my eyes I realized Leah wasn't next to me anymore. I decided to get up and make my way to the kitchen to rustle up some breakfast. I found Seth sitting on one of the bar stools by the counter. Someone was waiting for me to make their breakfast.

"Morning Seth." I greeted him "Have you eaten yet?"

"No." He smiled hopefully at me.

"I'm thinking french toast sounds good. You want to help?" I began rifling through their cabinets to find the necessary ingredients. Cinnamon-check. Bread-check. Vanilla and Nutmeg-check. Now to find some eggs and milk.

"Where's Lee?" I asked moving over to the refrigerator.

"I'm not sure. Sam came to pick her up early this morning for some stupid date thing." He said, getting up off his stool to come and inspect what I was doing. "He was acting really weird when he came into the house. He looked like someone died or something."

"Sounds like he's been acting weird a lot." I responded, trying to keep my tone level. "Here, you have to whisk the ingredients together in a bowl with a fork like this." I demonstrated the wrist movement and then gave the fork to Seth for him to try. He was slow at first but eventually got it down.

"Yea. A month back or so he disappeared for a week or two straight. Lee was worried out of her mind. Sam's mom didn't even know where he'd been and then he just showed up like nothing had happened, although he was a lot bigger and moodier." Seth told me while beating the eggs and milk.

"That's definitely odd." What on earth could cause such a transformation? Had he gotten into drugs? Alcohol? "Next you have to heat up the pan." I grabbed a flat skillet from the rack and turned the knob that controlled the heat. I set the pan down on the burner and waited

"Yea no one's really sure what's going on with Sam. Him and Leah have been fighting a lot lately. She thinks he's hiding something from her and that really bothers her. I think they used to tell each other everything."

"They'll work it out. Ok so now you have to coat the bread in our mixture. Mix it quickly again. There you go. So you just take the fork and gently set the bread in it. Then turn it over. And now I'm going to put it onto the pan. Pretty easy huh?"

"Yea I guess so." Seth said

"So what about you Seth. Do you have any hot dates for today? Going to leave me all by myself?" I asked, elbowing him playfully

"Nah, no plans. I was thinking we could maybe go to First Beach around noon. That's where a lot of kids hang out. Can I flip it now?" I handed him the spatula in response and he flipped the piece over.

"That sounds nice. I'll pack us a little lunch."

Seth and I made quick work of the french toast. When we'd finished cooking it we took it into the livingroom and parked ourselves in front of the TV. The rest of the morning was spent lounging on the couch eating occasional bites of breakfast and talking about the stupid stuff on TV.

When it was close to noon I began assembling sandwiches and snacks for us to bring to the beach. I wasn't sure how long we'd be out there so I wanted to be sure I had enough food and drink. When I finished gathering supplies Seth and I made our way to the beach. It looked exactly like I remembered. Stones and driftwood were scattered across the tan grass and the small strip of sand by the water. The beach was empty except for a couple with their backs to us that seemed to be having a very serious discussion.

"It's Lee and Sam." Seth said "Let's go say hi." He began running towards the pair. I reached out to hold him back but I was too slow.

"Wait Seth! I don't th-" I hissed after him

Leah turned to face us at the sound of my voice, her arms wrapped around her midsection, tears streaming down her face. She looked miserable, her eyes red and swollen. They'd obviously been here a while.

"Lee-lee I'm sorry." I heard Sam say, gently touching her shoulder. She shook his hand off and glared at him.

"Don't call me that!" She screamed "Go to hell Sam." Sobbing, she turned and ran down the beach, leaving us in the dust.

"Lee wait!" Seth shouted. He glanced at Sam and then ran after his distraught sister.

I was left standing a few feet away from Sam, feeling extremely uncomfortable. The two of us stood there for a long time in silence. Neither willing to break it. Finally I gathered enough courage to speak.

"What happened?" I asked, uncomfortably shifting the picnic basket between my hands, avoiding eye contact.

"I don't see how that's really any of your business." Sam replied, straightening and staring at me intensely.

"It is if you're upsetting my cousin you asshole!" I glared back at him, crossing my arms angrily across my chest.

"Whatever." Rolling his eyes he turned from me. "I don't have time for this. I need to go talk to Harry."

He began walking in the direction that Seth and I had come from. Not wanting to follow directly behind him I found a spot on the beach and settled the picnic basket I'd packed beside me. I watched the gulls chase one another around for a while until enough time had passed. I made my way home but neither Seth or Leah was there. I felt anxious and upset so I did what I always do when I feel this way. I began baking. Sifting flour, measuring ingredients, mixing. There's something cathartic about it. My hands began the familiar motions to create chocolate chip cookies, Leah's favorite.

After I finished baking a few dozen cookies I checked the clock and realized Harry and Sue would be home in an hour, give or take a few minutes. I decided to begin dinner for everyone. Something else to keep my mind occupied. I was worried about Leah and Seth. I hadn't seen either of them over the last several hours.

At last I heard the front door open. I walked into the living room to greet whoever had come in. It was Leah and she was alone. Her eyes were still swollen from all of the crying, but the tears were gone, at least for now.

"Hey." I said simply "Are you ok?"

"No." She returned. "I'm not ok."

I walked over to her and put my arms around her. She in turn grabbed me tightly and began crying again.

"I just can't believe it." She sniffled "We've been friends since middle school, and our relationship just seemed like the next step. I thought he was happy. I was so happy I thought my heart was going to burst when we were together. God I'm such an idiot."

"Leah, honey, you're not making any sense. What happened?" I guided her towards the couch.

"Do you know why I thought he was taking me to First Beach this morning?"

"Why?" I asked, rubbing her back gently

"I thought he was going to propose. He looked so nervous when he came up to the house, I thought for sure today was going to be the day. Instead we got to the beach and he started with _we need to talk_. I knew something was up. Then I thought he was going to tell me where he's been disappearing to lately so I asked him what was up. He told me that he couldn't be my boyfriend anymore. I wanted to know why he was saying this. I thought it might be because he's in some sort of trouble. With all of the disappearances and the way he's been acting I thought... Well I don't know exactly what I thought but I told him he needed to tell me what the hell was going on. He wouldn't say, just kept telling me that he wanted us to stay close and be friends. Then you and Seth showed up."

"I'm sorry we were there. I didn't know that's where he'd taken you. Seth said he took you on some sort of date so I thought you guys went to Forks or something to get breakfast." I pulled back to brush the hair out of her face. "Speaking of Seth, where is he?"

"I yelled at him. I'm such a horrible sister. I told him that nothing he could say would make me feel better so he went off somewhere on his own. He was just trying to make me feel better and I bit his head off."

"Do you think he's ok on his own?"

"Yea he's probably fine. He usually wanders around on his own a lot. He should be back some time soon. Can I ask you something though? I went looking for Seth after I'd yelled at him and I saw you talking to Sam on the beach. What was that about?" Leah asked, her eyes boring into mine.

"Well." I started, unsure of how to respond. Should I tell her the truth or lie so that she isn't even more upset? "We didn't really say much. He was actually kind of rude to me. Told me he didn't have time "for this" whatever that means. He said he needed to talk to your dad and then left."

"That's so weird. Emily I don't know what's wrong but I'm really worried about him."

"How about you go and take a bath before supper. I made lasagna."

"You always know how to make me feel better." She hugged me tightly, told me I was the best cousin a girl could ask for, and made her way up the stairs to the bathroom. A few minutes later I heard the water running through the pipes hinting that she'd followed my suggestion. I returned to the meal that I had been working on, prepping a salad to accompany the pasta.

"Hello?" I heard a voice from the front door

I walked back into the living room to greet my aunt and uncle.

"Hi aunt Sue." I kissed her on the cheek in greeting

"Hello dear. How was your day?" Sue asked, stepping in the door with Harry close on her heels.

"Umm. Fine." I said giving my uncle a quick hug. When I pulled back from him he gave me a strange look, holding me for a second longer than necessary as if sizing me up. "I made lasagna for dinner. Leah's had a bit of a rough day. She's upstairs taking a bath right now. Seth hasn't come home yet and I'm a bit worried about him."

"He'll turn up." Harry said, moving towards the scent of the cooking food.

"Since you've already made dinner for us, I'll set the table. How much longer until it's ready Emily?" Sue inquired

"I think about 10 minutes tops. 5 until it's out but it needs a few minutes to set before we can cut into it."

Sue and I got to work getting everything ready for dinner while Harry went upstairs to change out of his work clothes. Once everyone was ready we settled around the dinner table, waiting for Leah to join us.

"Sorry I'm late. I just needed a few more minutes in the tub." Leah said sitting down in the empty chair on my right. I squeezed her hand in response.

"Yes Emily said that something had happened today. What's wrong baby?" Sue questioned

A tear dripped down Leah's face.

"Sam broke up with me today and I have no idea why. I thought things had been getting better lately. Ever since he disappeared a few months back things haven't been quite normal but I really thought that we were getting back on the right track." She sobbed. "We've never broken up before."

I placed an arm around her shoulders and she nuzzled her face into my neck. What the hell was Sam's problem?

"Well clearly he's not worth your time if he's going to be this stupid. He'll regret it." I murmured into her ear. She sniffed loudly.

"I don't think I can eat right now after all. Sorry Em. I just can't." She got up and ran upstairs to her bedroom.

An awkward silence fell over the table and I caught Harry giving me another strange glance. Was there something wrong with the way I was dressed? What's his deal? 

"Well Emily." Harry cleared his throat. "I don't know if you were looking for a job, but the High School is looking for someone to teach some summer courses for the community on traditional crafts. I know that you are not Quileute, but the Makah are our close neighbors and often our traditional ways are similar to your ways. I thought that you might be interested in the position. I know how talented you are in basket-making and weaving."

This actually sounded like the perfect opportunity for me. I did love working in the traditional art forms and this would give me a chance to make a little money.

"That was very thoughtful of you Harry. I think that does sound like a good fit for me. How do I apply for the position?"

"Just stop over at the tribal school tomorrow some time and fill out the application. If you happen to have any samples of your work you should bring them along. That might help them to see your abilities."

"You would be a wonderful teacher Emily." Sue smiled at me, grabbing another piece of garlic toast.

"I think I'll do that!" I felt excited at the prospect of trying something new. "Wait, does it matter that I don't have my college degree? I know teachers usually have to have some sort of degree."

"On tribal lands, each tribe decides the qualifications necessary. In this case it doesn't matter because it's a community class. They don't expect someone that has a teaching degree. They just need someone who's talented in these artforms that would be capable of working with others to improve their own skills."

"Well I'm not sure I'll be qualified enough but it's worth trying. Is the school offering any other summer courses for the community?" I asked

"Yes there will be a few tribal history courses taught by one of the high school teachers and then a folklore class taught by one of the tribal council members although we're not sure who at the present moment."

A few minutes passed in silence which was interrupted by Seth crashing through the front door. From the sounds of it he was still upset about his fight with Leah earlier.

"We're eating dinner. Your plate's in the kitchen." I called out to him

"Not hungry." I heard him shout back while darting up to his own bedroom upstairs.

We quickly finished dinner. Harry offered to do dishes since Sue and I had gotten everything ready for dinner. I wasn't about to complain. I absolutely despised washing dishes by hand and they didn't have a dishwasher. I put away the remaining lasagna and decided to bring Leah and Seth a plate to their rooms. Hopefully they'd feel better so that they could eat something. A kid Seth's age is hardly ever not hungry and Leah really needed to be sure she took care of herself.

I knocked on Seth's door first.

"Seth, I brought you a plate of food." I stood patiently at the outside of his door.

The door cracked open and Seth's big brown eyes greeted me through the slit in the door.

"Thanks. I was getting kind of hungry but I didn't want to sit with Leah. She's in a horrible mood."

"Well I think it's understandable that she's upset but she shouldn't have taken it out on you. Here. Make sure to bring your plate down when you've finished. Dirty dishes in your room are gross." I offered him the plate and he grabbed it out of my hands

"Thanks Emily. Smells good."

"I'm going to go bring some to your sister. We should watch a movie later tonight."

"Ok!" He brightened at this "What do you want to watch?"

"I don't know. We can figure it out later. I'll meet you in the living room around 8?"

"Ok."

I made my way down the hall with my second plate of lasagna and knocked on Leah's door.

"Lee honey, I brought you some dinner." Silence "You need to eat Leah. Don't let yourself waste away because of a stupid boy."

"Come in." I heard her call through the door, her voice still thick with tears.

I pushed open the door and entered to find her laying on her bed face down, crying. The poor thing. I can't imagine what she's feeling right now. She looked completely devastated.

"I'm going to sit here until I see you eat this entire piece Lee." I sat down next to her and held out the plate

She moaned loudly at this but still sat up and reached for the plate. She tentatively took a bite, chewing it slowly.

"It's good." She grumbled

"Yea. Do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently

"No. I want to talk about anything but that."

"Your dad may have found a job for me." I tried, hoping it would distract her.

"That's great." She said hollowly "Where?"

"Apparently they're hiring a traditional arts teacher for some community classes over the summer. Your dad thought I might like to do that as I do a lot of weaving and basketry."

"That's great Em. You'd be really good at that." She wiped her eye on her right shoulder and took another bite

"Yea I think I would really like it. I don't know how much it pays but it would be a fun job and I could always get another if I needed to."

"Mmm." She replied

"Seth and I are going to watch a movie in a bit. Would you like to join us?"

"I don't know if I can right now." She said taking another, bigger, bite. "I think I just need some time to think about everything that's happened today. Sam said that he would call me later tonight."

"Well that's good. He's important to you, at least maybe the two of you could stay friends through this."

"Yea. He just texted me a few minutes ago asking if he could call me later. I told him I had to think about it. I don't know if I'm ready to talk but I don't want to completely lose him."

"Well you can hear him out and see what he's got to say." I noticed that she was done eating her lasagna. Mission accomplished.

"I'll take your plate down with me now so you can call him. Let me know how it goes!" I gave her a quick side hug and exited the room with the empty plate. I went into the kitchen and then dropped the empty plate into the sink that Harry was working in.

The rest of the night was spent watching movies with Seth, enjoying my time with my little cousin.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I woke up to Leah snoring softly beside me some time after Sue and Harry had left for work. Her face was still red and puffy from crying herself to sleep. Poor Leah. My heart went out to her. I couldn't imagine what she must be feeling.

I decided to take a quick shower so I would look presentable when I applied for the teaching position. I'd never done anything like this before, but the thought of teaching a class in something I loved was a very exciting prospect. I didn't know what I would do for a job after the position was over but I could figure that out later. The pressing question was what to wear. I hated picking out outfits for these sorts of things. I rifled through my suitcase until I pulled out a plain grey dress. This would have to do.

After I'd finished showering and getting dressed I stepped out the front door. I didn't have a car so I'd have to walk to the tribal school. I wasn't entirely sure where it was, but I could figure it out. La Push wasn't a large reservation so it couldn't be too difficult to find. I began walking north from the Clearwater's house. The sun shone on my face and I soaked in the warmth it provided. This was a rarity for La Push. As I walked, I tried to make mental notes of my surroundings. There was a small cafe called the Three Rivers not far from our house if you took a left from the driveway. It looked like a modest restaurant that most likely served burgers and the like. Further down the road there was a small convenience store that looked rather run down. I continued on my journey, taking stock of the various houses and businesses that I saw. I was rather consumed in my own thoughts when I felt myself bump into a warm solid mass.

"I am so sor-" I began, lifting my gaze to the obstacle in my path. I groaned internally realizing it was Sam. Despite the cool morning he was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that were cut off at the knee. He was literally the last person I wanted to see right now.

"You need to be more careful. You should watch where you're going." He responded angrily

"Wow. I'm sorry. I was just trying to figure out where I was. My apologies your majesty." I snapped bitchily

"Did you not notice that you just walked into the street without looking? You could have been hit Emily. You seriously need to watch it." His voice sounded upset and strained, almost as if he were actually concerned for my welfare.

I looked him over trying to figure out what his deal was. My face blushed a deep red once I realized that his hand was still gripping my shoulder. I shrugged out of his grasp.

"I get it Sam. I'll watch where I'm going." I brushed past him but he grabbed my shoulder again and turned me around to face him

"I don't think you do. This isn't the Makah reservation. It's a lot bigger and there are a lot of distracted drivers on the road nowadays with cellphones and what not."

"And what do you know of the Makah reservation?" I hissed, getting angrier by the second. The nerve!

"I know it's not even half the size of La Push. Look, I'm just trying to look out for you ok? Where are you headed?" He asked, his tone softening at my apparent anger

I hesitated. Should I actually tell him where I was headed? He might be able to give me directions at least. Weighing my options I decided it would be best to tell him.

"I'm going to the tribal school. I'm applying for a traditional crafts teaching position."

"Let me give you a ride. The school's over 2 miles from here and my place is just over there." He pointed to a small yellow house that edged the woods with a blue pickup truck parked in the front yard.

"I don't need a ride. My legs are working perfectly fine." I said cooly. Avoiding his gaze. I noticed a few people staring at the spectacle that Sam and I were creating. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks yet again.

"Look. I just want to help you ok? It doesn't look like you know where you're going and I'd hate for you to get lost." My cheeks even more when I noticed a few women pointing in my direction.

"Fine." I replied haughtily. Something about Sam was getting under my skin.

I trailed behind him silently as we walked over to his place. We reached the truck and I climbed into the passenger side and slammed the door shut noisily behind me. He pulled out of the driveway and started driving in the opposite direction of where I'd been walking. I needed to avoid looking at him. I, despite everything, was attracted to him. It wasn't helping that he was shirtless, muscles flexing with each turn that he took with the truck.

After a minute or two of silence Sam abruptly asked "So do you have your teaching license?"

"No." I felt instantly defensive. How did he know the precise buttons to press? "Harry told me I didn't need one. Apparently there's a traditional arts class that is need of a teacher and Harry told me that I should apply for the position." I felt very self-conscious confessing this out loud to someone that wasn't my immediate family. What if I didn't get the job? He'd think I was a complete loser. _But why should that matter_ my mind challenged. "It's just a summer job."

"That's cool." He said after a minute. "Not very many people our age are interested in the traditional ways anymore, which is a shame. They're so important for the life of our people. We can't forget our roots, you know? They're the reason we are here today."

I was stunned by this pronouncement. He had literally summed up countless arguments that Leah and I had had several times. She had never been interested in studying the traditional ways of her people which I found confusing, but she wasn't alone. Unfortunately more and more young people felt the same way.

"I agree. We can't forget our history. Forgetting those that have come before us is disrespectful."

Silence followed this until Sam pulled up in front of a large wooden building with a small sign posted in front of it that read "La Push High School".

"Here you are."

"Thanks." I replied, breezily.

I opened the door and scurried out. Sam scared me big time. Despite disliking him immensely, I felt attracted to him in a strange way. Like I was being pulled towards him regardless of my own feelings. It was unlike any feeling I'd ever had before which made me extremely uncomfortable. Without looking back I approached what appeared to be the front doors and entered the building. I looked around hoping to find someone to speak to about the application. I saw a door directly ahead of me with the words "Front Office" posted above it. Realizing this was probably the best place to start, I straightened my hair and skirt and made my way to the door, hoping to make a good first impression.

A middle aged woman with dark hair and eyes was doing something on the computer when I entered. She looked up from her computer at the sound of me entering and smiled warmly.

"Hi. My name is Emily Young and I'm here to apply for the traditional craft teaching position. Is this where I can pick up an application?" I asked, trying to feign confidence

"Certainly dear. You must be Harry's niece! He's been talking about you coming to stay non-stop for the past few weeks. Very excited to eat some of your cooking he said!"

I laughed lightly at this. Harry had always appreciated a good meal. The woman smiled again and got up to retrieve something from the filing cabinet behind her. She rifled through it for a moment before seizing the document she wanted. She crossed the room again and handed it to me.

"Here is the application dear. You can fill it out in here or you can take it home and bring it back."

"Alright. I think I'll fill it out here."

The woman handed me a pen and a clipboard to use and gestured to some uncomfortable looking chairs next to her desk. I sat down and began reading through the questions. Most of them didn't seem like they quite fit the sort of position I would be filling but I did my best at answering them. It probably took me thirty minutes or so. When I finished I handed it back to the receptionist.

"Well I've filled out everything I can." I replied simply.

"Do you have any samples of your work with you dear?" She asked taking the application from the clipboard

"Oh no I forgot to bring those with me." I fretted, worry etched across my face

"Not a problem. Do you have some pictures at home that you could email to the vice principal? He's the one doing the hiring for the tribal education this summer."

"Oh yea I could definitely do that. For my senior art project at my school I had to create a portfolio so I have a lot of pictures of my work."

"Wonderful. He will be sure to look over your full application once the photos are submitted. Thank you very much for applying Miss Young."

"Thank you!" I smiled and exited the office.

Stepping outside I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The application questions were more difficult than I had anticipated. Well no use worrying about it now. There was nothing I could do. I looked around trying to determine which way Sam and I had come from. I was at a loss. Unfortunately I hadn't paid much attention to the route Sam had used to get us here. I would just have to wing it again. I began walking east down the street that the school was on.

After walking about fifteen minutes I wasn't sure if I had seen any of the houses along my path or not. I was starting to question the direction I had chosen to walk and my feet were starting to blister from the shoes I had selected. Damnit I should have paid less attention to Sam and more to the road. How was I going to find my way home? As if on cue I heard a familiar rumble behind me.

"Need a ride?" I heard Sam's gruff voice call from behind me. I turned to see him sidling up next to me with his truck. I groaned despite the fact that I was very grateful. Who knows how long it would have taken me to get home without him.

"Yes." I sighed moving to the other side. I stepped onto the side of the truck and began shoving the grocery bags sitting on the passenger side to the center of the seat between us and sat down.

"You know you were going the complete wrong direction again. Are you directionally challenged?"

I snorted at this "Clearly. I see you've found a shirt."

"You're lucky the grocery store is on the same street…" He trailed off awkwardly not responding to my previous statement.

I tried to lift the tension by peering into his grocery bags. There were three rotisserie chickens, 2 packages of frozen steaks, and some soda.

"These are the only groceries you got for yourself at the store?" I asked feeling slightly concerned. "Sam. Where are the vegetables?"

"I don't need any vegetables." he responded

"You can't just live off of chicken and soda Sam. It's not healthy."

"I'll be fine." He replied shortly

I rolled my eyes at this and decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Is there a library with internet in La Push?" I asked a few minutes later

"No. Unfortunately not." He turned to look at me as if unsure of whether to say the next statement or not. "I know that Forks does by that's a good fifteen minutes away by car."

"I'll have to see if uncle Harry would be able to get me there today or tomorrow."

The rest of the short trip was yet again silent. I just didn't know how to talk to Sam. He stopped outside of my house and parked the car. He looked up at the house and his expression changed quickly. I turned to see what he was looking at. Leah was sitting on the front steps staring at us, looking absolutely pissed. I got out of the truck and slammed the door loudly, not thanking Sam. Before I reached her Leah had gotten up from her spot and went into the house, completely ignoring me. I quickly tried to follow her but she was too quick. She made it to her room and locked the door behind her.

"Leah. What's wrong?" I asked through the door

"If you don't know then it's a waste of my time explaining it to you!" She shouted back

"You aren't mad that I was with Sam are you? It's not like I wanted to talk to him. He just stumbled upon my sorry ass while I was trying to get home from the school. I applied for that job your dad mentioned. "

"Cool." She said, sounding like she thought it was anything but

"Why are you getting mad at me?!" I asked, feeling myself getting irritated with her

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that you seem to be so chummy with my ex-boyfriend." I could tell she was crying now

"It's not like that and you know it! I barely know him Lee. Don't be ridiculous!"

"Exactly! You two barely know each other and yet you're hanging out."

I groaned loudly at this. She was being ridiculous. Yes I found Sam attractive, but I wasn't about to move in on him or anything. That would go completely against the girl code.

"Oh my god. You need to chill out. I can't deal with you being like this. I'll be downstairs if you decide to stop accusing me." I turned and made my way downstairs.

Leah would come around. She was hurting and therefore taking it out on the easiest person at her disposal. Me. Once she had time to reflect on everything I was sure she would come around. After all, we had barely spoken a civil word to one another! She would soon see that I hadn't done anything wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

Leah hadn't come around as quickly as I had hoped. I tried to talk to her the next morning and explain why I was with Sam but she acted as if she couldn't hear me and breezed into the bathroom, slamming the door in my face. I felt my temper flare again at her childish actions but tried not to dwell on it. I had a propensity to obsess over things that I couldn't control. I instead tried to channel my frustration into getting that teaching job for the summer.

The night before I had spoken with Harry about getting a ride to the library in Forks at some point over the next few days. He said it wouldn't be a problem and that he could take me over there today during his lunch break and pick me up after he finished work. I was very happy. The sooner I sent the vice principal samples of my work the better.

Around noon I heard the front door open. I grabbed my portfolio from my room and made my way downstairs to see who it was. It was my uncle Harry, ready to take me to Forks.

"Ready to hit the road Emily?" He asked, smiling at me

"I am! Thank you so much for doing this uncle Harry." I gushed

"Don't think on it." He responded "But there's been a change of plans. I just don't have time to take you today but I found someone who's willing to drive you over to the library."

I slowly turned my head, dreading what I would find. I noticed someone sitting on the couch that I hadn't seen when I entered the room. It was Sam. Damn it all to hell. Of course he has to be here to ruin my day. Leah was going to be absolutely furious with me.

"It's ok uncle Harry! I can wait for another day when you've got time." I said, silently pleading with him to save me from an awkward afternoon with Sam.

"It's not that I don't want to take you sweetheart, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get you there while they're open. Work has been busy lately." Harry elaborated

"I'm sorry. I am not trying to make you feel bad. I just don't want to bother Sam here. I know he's a busy guy." I replied looking to Sam to help me out.

"I've got nothing better to do today." Sam said from the couch

"Really it's ok. I could probably ask around and find a ride." I was grasping at straws and they knew it. Who did I know that could give me a ride to the next town over and wait around while I got my photos scanned? I could guarantee Leah wouldn't be driving me anywhere any time soon.

"Emily. What is the problem?" Harry asked, looking concerned.

I lowered my voice. "Leah is already upset with me for getting a ride home yesterday. If she knows that I willingly drove to Forks and back with Sam she will kill me." I explained.

"Nonsense. I mentioned you needing a ride to Sam and he said he was already going to Forks to get some groceries so it wouldn't be any trouble. It just makes sense. I'll speak with Leah."

My eyes snapped to Sam and narrowed. What did he mean he needed groceries? He was literally at the small grocery store on the reservation yesterday and bought three chickens for god's sake! Did it not have something he needed? I sighed, realizing there was no way I was getting out of riding with Sam.

"Have you eaten yet?" I asked Harry

"Yes. I grabbed something on my way over. Why? Did you fix me something?"

"Yea I made lunches for us to bring in the car. I guess you're in luck Sam." I grumbled, leaving the room to retrieve the lunches I'd prepared.

I grabbed the sandwiches and sodas stashed in the fridge and returned to the living room. Harry was gone and Sam was standing by the door with his hands deep in his pockets, looking uncomfortable.

"Are you ready?" I asked, not able to hide the annoyance in my voice.

I felt the soda slipping from the place I had wedged it. I attempted to catch it with my knee but before I got there Sam was gently grabbing the soda cans from my arms. Without acknowledging my question Sam turned on his heel and exited the house, bee-lining it for his truck. I trailed after him with the sandwiches. I got into the truck and glanced back up at the house. Leah was staring at me out of her bedroom window, a scowl engulfing her usually sunny face. I sheepishly looked away and stared at my lap. When we were both secured in the vehicle Sam backed out of the driveway and tore off in the same direction I'd travelled yesterday to reach the school.

"Why do you need to go to the grocery store again? You were just there yesterday."

"I'm out of food."

I gaped at him. How was that even humanly possible? The man had bought three chickens and some steaks! There was no way one person could eat all of that by himself! He must have had some people over.

"Did you have a party or something?" I asked

"Yea. Paul was over for a while." He said simply

"You're telling me that you and another guy ate three chickens and several steaks?" I was gobsmacked.

"Yes. We were hungry after we went for a run."

Holy shit. The two of them ate all of that after going for a measly run? There is something wrong that picture. I can't even imagine eating one chicken by myself on my hungriest of days, let alone 2 and a couple of steaks!

"Must have been some run." I muttered

"So Leah's giving you trouble about the ride I gave you yesterday?" Sam abruptly changed the subject. I felt his eyes boring into my profile. I wish he'd stop staring at me and keep his eyes on the road.

"Yea. I asked her what her deal was and she told me that if I didn't know then we had bigger problems to deal with. You'd think we were making out in your pickup in front of the house the way she was carrying on! I don't understand her. She's always had a flair for the dramatic but this is extreme, even for Leah."

"You're right about that. Leah is dramatic."

For some reason this irked me coming from him. Sure _I_ could say she was being dramatic but the second it he said it I felt defensive on Leah's behalf. Of course Leah was acting crazy! I would be acting crazy if I was in her position too. She just got dumped by the love of her life after thinking he was going to propose. Anyone would feel blindsided by that.

"Emily." Sam's voice interrupted my thoughts

"Huh?" I asked, a little dazed

"Did you hear what I said?"

"No." I admitted sheepishly. "I was thinking about something sorry."

"Hey." He said gently "Stop worrying about Leah. She'll come around, she always does. Leah's been pissed at me on and off for the last two months but still managed to get over it. She can't stay mad at you forever."

"I just don't want this to get between us. We're usually so close." I said "Not to mention there is nothing going on between you and I and there never will be so she shouldn't act like I'm trying to steal you away."

Sam's jaw tightened at this but he quickly configured it into a scowl. He gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter and focused on the road ahead.

It was awkwardly silent for the rest of the journey, an emerging pattern I'd noticed between Sam and I. I didn't really know how to act around him. At times he seemed exasperated by my mere presence and others he seemed like he wanted to be friends. Whatever. Now was not the time to dissect this. He was giving me a ride to the library and I should just be grateful for that. I pulled out my portfolio to look through the photos of my work. Thumbing through the pictures I tried to determine which pictures showed my work of the best. I came across two photos of the same piece but felt torn about which was the better angle.

"Ok I need your help. Which angle is better do you think? I want to show as much detail as possible to showcase my colorwork. Left or right?" I held up both pictures for his inspection.

Sam glanced over at the pictures in question then quickly redirected his attention to the road.

"Why don't you use both? Send multiples of the same piece. The one on the right shows the details you wanted but it would be good to see the whole piece to display your color choice and finishing work. If you only sent the right one it would look like you were highlighting the best portion of the blanket. You want to make it clear that the entire piece looks great, not just a small portion."

I was impressed with his answer as I hadn't considered sending multiples of the same piece. It couldn't hurt.

"That's a great idea Sam. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Alright, we're here." Sam pulled into a parking spot in the empty lot.

"I shouldn't be too long." I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. I looked over at him and he was unbuckling his seatbelt as well.

"I'll come with you."

"Oh that's not necessary Sam. It won't take much time." I replied nonchalantly

"I'm not letting you out of my sight while we are in Forks." He said firmly

I froze with my hand on the door, puzzled at his strange behavior yet again. I analyzed his face. He looked dead serious about going in with me. What in the hell did he mean by that? Forks wasn't much bigger than the reservation and there was very little crime compared to a lot of cities in the surrounding area. There was absolutely no need for him to accompany me inside the library. Criminals don't wait inside of library doors waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting book lovers of the world.

"Suit yourself." I got out of the car and made my way towards the doors without giving a backwards glance at Sam. He quickly caught up with me and walked alongside me.

Once inside I approached the librarian's desk. She gave Sam and I a strange look. She probably didn't see men his size very often.

"Hi. I need to scan some pictures and email them to someone. Would you be able to direct me to your scanner?" I asked

"Certainly. Turn right, walk past those shelves there, and it's tucked back there by the corner." She said pointing to the corner of the room.

"Thank you." I followed her instructions and walked to the copier.

I made quick work of the photos, sending them to the vice principal. Hopefully he would receive them today. I wanted to get them to him as quickly as possible. This job would be perfect for me.

"Alright. I'm done scanning. I would like to check out their cookbook section if you have a moment."

Sam's eyebrows furrowed at this request. He appeared to be thinking deeply about staying.

"So I'll take that as a no?" I asked

He paced back and forth for a moment.

"Quickly." He muttered

I stood on my tippy toes trying to see where the cooking section was in the expansive library. Sam noticed me craning my neck. He took stock of our surroundings and then pulled me by my arm to the cookbooks. His hand burned my skin. I wrenched my arm out of his grasp.

"I am capable of walking on my own thank you."

"Come on."

The cooking section was disappointing. There were only three shelves of books and most of them appeared to be at least 20 years old. I scanned the spines, trying to find something of interest. My eyes caught The _Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook_. I quickly snatched it off the shelf and began perusing the recipes. The Harry Potter series had always been one of my favorite and I knew Seth and Leah enjoyed it as well. Maybe I could convince Leah to talk to me again with a recipe from this book. Satisfied with my selection I gestured for Sam to follow me as I made my way to the front desk.

"Hi. I would like to check this one out please." I handed my selection to the woman

"Alright dear. I will need to see your card please." She said

"Oh that's right. I'll need to get a card as well." I responded

"I'll need to see an I.D. and proof of residence."

"Oh I didn't bring either of those." I said sheepishly

"Then I'm sorry dear. I won't be able to give you a library card today. If you come back with your I.D. and proof of residence I can get you signed up so that you can check this out."

Sam gently moved me over a bit so that he could speak with the librarian.

"Here. I've got my card." He pulled out his library card and handed it to the woman.

The woman scanned the library card and the cookbook.

"This will be due back in two weeks. Thank you."

Sam took the book and began walking out the way we had come in.

"Thanks Sam. You didn't have to do that. That was nice of you."

"It's not a big deal. You can make it up to me by cooking one of the recipes out of that book." He shot me a quick smile

I didn't know how to respond so I kept my mouth shut. We climbed back into his truck and it roared to life. I turned to buckle my seatbelt and noticed the sandwiches and sodas I'd packed.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, offering him a sandwich

"Sure. I'm always hungry." He accepted the sandwich and began eating it ravenously

"Slow down there Sam. The sandwich isn't going to run away."

He looked slightly embarrassed and slowed down his pace.

"I haven't eaten today. Sorry."

"Why haven't you eaten yet?" I asked, taking another bite.

"Didn't have any food." He said simply

"Oh that's right. You mentioned needing groceries. Whenever you want to head over there is fine with me. I can just wait in the car."

He finished chewing and began looking at the space between us.

"Do you have any more?" He asked shyly

"Yea." I handed over two more sandwiches which he made quick work of.

Neither of us talked while finishing our food. Sam backed out of the parking lot and began driving down a side street. After a few minutes we arrived at the grocery store.

"Are you sure you want to just sit out here? It takes me a while to do this usually."

I weighed my options. On one hand sitting out here alone would be pretty boring. On the other I'd be seen in public with Sam and I didn't want people to get the wrong idea about us being together, shopping for groceries. Granted this wasn't the reservation so the likelihood of seeing someone that we knew wasn't extremely high, it was still possible. My desire to be with people outweighed my possible embarrassment.

"Fine I'll come in." I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the truck.

We entered the store and I grabbed a cart.

"So what exactly do you need?" I asked, trying to make quick work of shopping.

"I don't know. Food."

I rolled my eyes at his response. "Obviously you need food Sam. What kind of food do you need?

"Well I'm not really sure. I don't know how to cook anything other than grill stuff."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"And you don't know how to cook yet?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"My mom used to do all of the cooking but she's not here anymore."

"What do you mean? Where did she go?"

"She died. A couple of years back."

"I'm sorry."

I felt horrible. I didn't mean to bring that up. A memory of Leah telling me about his mother's passing surfaced and I felt like an idiot. Of course he doesn't know what he's doing. His mom was gone and he probably didn't have anyone to ask. I quickly sprung into action.

"Alright. Well Sam, I am going to teach you how to cook."

"What?"

"I'm going to teach you how to cook for yourself. Eating out gets to be too expensive and you've got to eat. Look at you! You're a huge guy. You need to be able to cook for yourself so you don't starve."

"Ok. Well. Thanks Emily."

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I'm a nice person and I would feel guilty if I didn't help a person that clearly needed it. Ok first lesson we're going to cook something easy. We can do chicken breasts with some kind of potato and vegetable."

We loaded the cart with the necessary ingredients and brought it to a cashier to pay. Once finished we brought the groceries out to the truck and loaded them in the back of the cab. I walked around and got into the passenger seat again.

"So do you have time to stop over at the Clearwater's for dinner? I'll show you how to cook this and you can take the leftovers home."

Sam looked uncomfortable at this request. I knew it was strange to ask him to come over to his ex-girlfriend's house after they'd just broken up but admittedly I had ulterior motives. If I could get Sam to come into the house there was a chance that Leah was there. If she was I would force the two to talk it out and figure out whatever was going on and hopefully they'd kiss and make-up. Whatever was going on between them was clearly weighing heavily on both parties.

"I don't know that Leah will want to see me right now." He said sadly

"Of course she does Sam. She's upset with you, yes. But she cares about you and wants to make this work."

Sam didn't offer a response. His face set in a hard line, he pulled out of the parking lot and didn't say anything else to me for the remainder of our trip.


	5. Chapter 5

When we got to the Clearwater house Sam sat in the driver's seat with his hands tightly grasping the steering wheel, almost as if he was holding on for dear life. Sam was clearly weighing the pros and cons of venturing into the house.

"Sam if you don't want to come in, that's completely fine. I don't really care. I just figured I could show you how to actually cook something while I was already preparing a meal for the family."

He visibly relaxed at this.

"Ok. I don't think I will. I'm sorry Emily. I don't think I can see Leah right now." Sam said

"Oh god. Don't remind me. Well see you around I guess." I groaned

I unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed the cookbook sitting on the seat next to me. As I was climbing out I heard Sam say my name. I ducked my head back into the cab to see what he wanted.

"Do you think you could actually show me how to cook some time that doesn't involve me being at the Clearwaters? It would be a big help. Paul's been complaining for months now that we always eat the same thing, but I don't know how to make anything else."

"Does he live with you or something?"

"Yea." An awkward silence settled between us. "So, do you think you could?" He asked sheepishly

"I guess so." I agreed offhandedly.

Before he had a chance to ask what time I rushed into the house. I'd rather not have to spend any more time with him than necessary. I risked a glance up to Leah's window to see if she was watching us again. She scowled down at me from her bedroom. Damnit this was not going to sit well with her. It was unlikely she would listen to me, but I would have to try to explain why I was spending time with her ex-boyfriend yet again.

After depositing the shopping bags on the kitchen floor I tentatively climbed the stairs and knocked on her bedroom door.

"Lee, I'm home."

Leah wrenched open her door, glaring at me.

"Thank you for notifying me but I already saw you get out of Sam's truck. Seems Sam has moved on rather quickly."

I was stunned by her insinuations.

"Just so you know, your dad had originally told me that he was going to take me to the library to scan the pictures for my job application, but then he was busy with work and asked Sam to do it. I tried to get out of it, I swear Leah. You know I would never intentionally do anything to upset you! You're like a sister to me."

"I don't know many sisters that would spend two days with their sister's ex, right after a breakup."

"It's not like I wanted to Leah! Stop being so childish about this. I am just trying to put together a portfolio for the vice principal. I needed to go to the library to send those pictures!"

"Yes. That's me. The child! Maybe that's why he's interested in you. You're more experienced than I am. Guys usually go for that." She hissed

"What the hell do you mean by that?" I shouted. My anger rolling off of me in waves.

"Girls, what in the world is going on up there?" I heard my aunt call up to us. She must have gotten home from work.

"You need to grow up and snap out of this. You're acting jealous over nothing." I replied, attempting to sound calm.

I didn't want to upset my aunt Sue any further with our arguing. I turned from Leah and made my way back downstairs.

"Emily dear, what is going on?" Sue asked me as I walked into the kitchen

I debated on how much I should tell aunt Sue. I was mad at Leah but didn't want to get her in serious trouble. She was obviously working through some things right now and I didn't want to add to that.

"Oh nothing. We were just arguing over who's top this was." I said with a fake laugh

Sue didn't look like she completely believed this. Luckily she didn't decide to push it any further. I turned my attention to the bags of ingredients I'd picked up at the store and began preparing dinner. Sue grabbed the sack of potatoes and began working quietly alongside me.

"I finished my application for that teaching position." I offered

"Oh that's wonderful Emily. Do you know when they'll have a decision?"

"I don't remember." I admitted. "I was so nervous I don't remember much of what we talked about honestly."

"That's understandable." She said patting me on the shoulder

Dinner was a short, awkward affair. Leah and I sat stonily throughout, barely looking in the others direction. After dinner she returned to her room and I remained in the living room, trying to buy myself more time to let her cool off before bed. With any luck she'd already be asleep by the time I returned. Seth and I decided to watch an episode of the bachelor. Last year we watched an episode with Leah and ended up making fun of the stupid people

in their attempts to fight over one man. Occasionally we like to revisit the show to poke fun at the contestants.

"I can't believe three girls have already cried! We're only 10 minutes into the episode! This must be some kind of new record." Seth joked

"Emily." I heard Harry's voice call me from the kitchen

"Yea?" I hollered back, grabbing another handful of popcorn

"Someone's on the phone for you."

"Be right back Seth. Mom's probably just checking in on me." I hauled myself off the couch and padded into the kitchen where the Clearwaters kept their telephone.

I picked up the receiver from the spot on the counter Harry had left it.

"Hey mom." I said into the phone, twirling the cord around my fingers.

"It's Sam." I heard a gruff voice say from the other side of the line. I nearly dropped the phone in surprise.

I quickly glanced around to see if anyone was close enough to hear. Had Harry realized it was Sam when he picked up the phone? He must have with Sam being around as much as he was. How completely mortifying. What must Harry think of me? Taking late night calls from his daughter's ex-boyfriend.

"Oh." I replied uncomfortably. "What do you want?" I tried to keep my voice low. God forbid Leah hear me talking on the phone to Sam.

"Would you be willing to help me with that cooking stuff tomorrow? I know for a fact that Leah works at the gas station from 3 until close so you wouldn't have to worry about ruffling her feathers."

"I don't know..." I said reluctantly, thinking of how Leah would feel about me spending yet another day with Sam.

Pacing back and forth I quickly debated over what I should do. On one hand he had done me a favor today by bringing me to the library and checking out that book for me. Not to mention I did say that I would help him learn how to cook. On the other, this could be the final straw for Leah. She might never talk to me again. Sam interrupted my thoughts.

"Please Emily. We're desperate over here." He pleaded.

I felt my resolve crack a bit.

"Please Emily! Sam's cooking tastes worse than roadkill!" I heard a voice chiming in on the other side of the line. Must be Paul.

I chuckled at this and felt myself give in.

"Fine." I groaned "But if Leah finds out about this I am bailing and I'll deny ever agreeing to it in the first place. I refuse to let this get in the way of my friendship with her."

"Ok. What time can I pick you up?" Sam asked

"No need for that. I'll walk. If your truck is seen outside of the house again it's likely to cause more suspicion than if I go for a walk."

"We're not doing anything wrong here Emily. You're just helping me with the cooking stuff."

I rolled my eyes at this, despite the fact that he couldn't see me. Was he really that dense? Could he not see how that would lead to gossip? The reservation wasn't that large and news travelled fast.

"I know that Sam. I am well aware. However, I don't want to upset Leah anymore than I already have. I'll be over around 4:30."

"Ok I can be done with work by then."

"Where do you work?" I heard myself asking.

"The auto shop by the school."

"As much fun as this has been Emily, we need to go. We've gotta go for a run." Paul's voice sounded into the receiver again

"Alright. See you tomorrow I guess."

Neither boy responded and I heard a faint click after a few seconds. I returned the phone to it's place and made my way back out to the living room, schooling my face into a grin.

"Oh man you missed it!" Seth said excitedly, extending the popcorn toward me as returned to my spot.

"What did I miss?"

"That stupid girl got really drunk and took her top off at the rose ceremony!"

I sniggered loudly at this. While we continued watching the show, my mind drifted. What must life be like for these women competing for the attention of one man? How could they bear becoming friends with one another knowing that the other was also developing a relationship? I could only imagine the agony of seeing your friend and significant other together. Luckily I'll never find myself in that sort of a situation.

 **A/N: Sorry it's so short! I wanted to get something out so people would know this story isn't totally dead. Just have been lacking inspiration lately. Will try to update more quickly next time.**


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